papa Loc: Rio Dell, CA

I made my move to DxO Optics Pro two years ago and haven't looked back. They have IMHO the best RAW engine and post-processing available. By downloading the appropriate modules for my body/lens (5D Mark III / Tamron 24-70, 70-200, 150-600 and Tokina 16-28) it automatically corrects distortion, softness, and aberration. There is also better noise reduction, Clear View, and Smart Lighting, none of which I could do so easily in LR. I use DxO Optics Pro 11 Elite which also includes Film Pack; to mimic 80 different old school film looks. Check out their trial. It's top shelf, more intuitive and faster, as well as achieving better results for me, so LR just sits on my computer unused.

dfrodin Loc: Colorado Springs, CO

All the conspiracy theories about the cloud and Adobe are just that - theories. Reality is what you believe - and everything is clouded by what you believe. The cloud is probably more protected than your own computer.

2Much Loc: WA

What does happen when you stop paying the fee for CC? No more updates? Self-disables? Adobe confiscates your computer and a favorite pet?

A non-professional, for a couple of decades I've updated Photoshop (then Lightroom as well) as infrequently as Adobe and my hardware would allow. I don't choose to rent or lease things, and rankled when I recently paid for a year of CC (new hardware). But that part of me has nothing to do with the value of CC. It probably costs no more than I spent squeezing the last dying breath from outdated versions.

Lupin Loc: West Sussex, U.K.

I bet at least part of the reason for Adobe moving to a cloud-based system was to cut down on piracy. I seem to recall a few years ago a spokesman for Adobe saying that they estimated that about three out of five copies of Photoshop in use were unlicensed. Certainly, if you ever visited Moscow six or seven years ago, many a street corner would have a stall selling pirated copies of the latest version of Photoshop (and many other items of expensive software) for the equivalent of about £4 or £5 - complete with a "crack" to allow the program to be installed and run independently of a legal licence, and without the need to log-in to the Adobe website. At a time when the most comprehensive licensed versions of Photoshop were selling for several hundred pounds each, the loss of revenue for Adobe must have been massive. Almost every adolescent seemed to have a pirated copy of Photoshop installed on his/her PC. Who can blame Adobe for switching to a more secure system of licensing their products?

romanticf16 Loc: Commerce Twp, MI

If you read the software agreement that comes with the DVD you'll see you leased the software and the only thing you legally own is the disk it was delivered on!

bonjac Loc: Santa Ynez, CA 93460

I agree with your observations about DXO Optics Pro. BUT, be aware, if you are using a fuji X type camera, DXO will not process their raw files.

ricosha Loc: Phoenix, Arizona

There is no cloud, and I don't know how many times this has come up. 1)you can download CC over the internet or Adobe will mail you a CD, 2) you pay for the license monthly or yearly not like it was before CC, where Adobe jacked the price high enough only professionals wanted to buy the software, 3) your images are not on a server in the middle of the Nevada desert (area 51), but on your computer. Always on your computer unless you choose to save them to an offsite location. Remember there is no cloud; however there is large data banks in buildings which store digital information scattered across the country/world. Some are free services and some you pay for, your choose if you want this. And as a side note I have used CC Photoshop and CC Lightroom since Adobe offered. I've own many of the earlier versions. In my opinion CC is light years ahead of what the earlier versions can do.

2Much Loc: WA

Skip the property taxes and see if you "own" your paid-for house!

lemontart Loc: uk

Adobe when asked on twitter said they had no info on the standalone option ending

bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

"I have looked for, but cannot find any "announcement" that Lightroom will become "CC only" any time soon"
That's because they only said they stopped selling CS6. There has been an internet rumor that Lightroom 6 is the last perpetual license version. There is an equally strong rumor that Lightroom 7 is due very soon.

"The subscription version, on the other hand, will stop working if you don't keep up the monthly payments (last time I looked, you had to prepay a year of use for $120, to get the $10 a month rate)."
It does not stop working. The Develop module stops. You still have Library module use. Your images and access to them do not go away. No, you don't have to pay annually. Adobe will bill your credit card monthly. You CAN get a good discount through sale pricing at retailers like B&H sometimes during the year. Your computer does need to connect via internet for subscription verifications less frequently if you have an annual.

"What irks me is that Adobe doesn't give us a choice."
That seems to irk a lot of people. But, so far Lightroom continues to be a choice. Some believe it will stop. Some believe it will continue. Another choice from Adobe is Elements. It is nearly as capable as Photoshop CC, includes a file management system, uses almost the same ACR module and is really cheap.

"So the only possible reason for wanting to force everything into a subscription model is to have more monopolistic control over the price and profits."
Deep on the internet was a discussion of Adobe insiders. It explained that Photoshop's complex innards made keeping separate leased and licensed versions increasingly expensive. And, on a world scale, the costs of illegal copies was skyrocketing. How can it be monopolistic when there are so many non-Adobe choices? Even cameras come with software at no charge!

"If you have a link to an announcement that Lightroom will be CC-only anytime soon, I'd be interested to see it."
There is no such link! Adobe has not announced and end to the perpetual license versions of Lightroom. There was one public post from the lead Lightroom official a couple years ago that said that Lightroom would continue to have a choice. That guy was promoted, but no other public announcement has rescinded that one.

"That would be a shame, after 20 years as an Adobe customer!"
It would be. But sometimes, "principles" are more important than "logic"!

romanticf16 Loc: Commerce Twp, MI

Buy a DVD external drive- should be about $30. Then buy and install software yourself. It isn' rocket science. Get a USB3 model rather than USB2 if available.

markngolf Loc: Bridgewater, NJ

Agreed!! Already mentioned and outlined by a few others, including myself. It's an individual choice. I do think the decision of leasing or owning should be made with reliable and accurate information. There does seem to be some misinformation via a few posts. Personally, I love Adobe CC. Compared to my expenditures for my photography hobby, the $10.00 per month is minimal. I have two Canon L lenses that cost $4400. That's equivalent to 8+ years of subscription fees. For me, that's a no "brainer". Always updated with the most recent improvements and new features.
But, I also respect the opinions of others who prefer ownership rather than leasing.
Mark

bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

Mark, is that each or for both!

Both my DW and I agree that there are restrictions to my photography that were push hard to get my last lens at $1800!

Like most other topics about Adobe, there are two sides. One side logically discusses what works and what it costs. The other side feels personally insulted by Adobe and argue emotionally.

Both are valid!

The only thing that irks me is that Jerry, who started this topic, won't respond to my request for a $5 bet! He says there will never be a Lightroom 7. I say there will be!

Paul Buckhiester Loc: Columbus, GA USA

Deleted

Paul Buckhiester Loc: Columbus, GA USA

Agree